


Fellowship of the Travelling Rubik's Cube

by missjmelville



Series: August Fic Challenge [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Competition, Games, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Rivalry, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-05
Updated: 2015-08-05
Packaged: 2018-04-13 03:23:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4505832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missjmelville/pseuds/missjmelville
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I thought geniuses loved those things?” Clint kicked absently at the half a robot by his feet, Steve had finally noticed that they weren’t working anymore and was making his way over, blonde hair grey with soot and streaks of grime on his face. </p><p>“I solved my first Rubik’s cube in two days when I was three,” Tony threw the cube to Steve who caught it out of reflex and stared at it perplexed.</p><p>Clint finds a Rubik's cube. Tony isn't interested. Team shenanigans ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fellowship of the Travelling Rubik's Cube

**Author's Note:**

> Day 5 of my August fic challenge, the prompt for this one was 'Tony Stark + Rubik's cube' though it turned more into a team thing. As usual this has not been beta read. I am exhausted and terribly unmotivated today so there may be grievous errors in this fic or something, ignore or point them out, I may re-write it at a later date.

It started like this.

“Hey check it out,” Clint popped up from behind a half-demolished wall with a hulk sized fist imprint in it, he waved his fist in the air where he held a bright multi-coloured cube. “I thought it was just cockroaches that could survive anything,” he hopped over the wall and ambled towards the others who were cleaning up a section of road that had become impassable.

“What’s that bird brain?” Tony was still in his Iron Man armour, the words came out tinny and flat, he lifted up half a robot that was scattered along the bitumen. The multi coloured cube came sailing through the air and hit the faceplate of the armour with dull clunk before falling to the ground.

“Nice catch,” Clint mocked and he was sure if he could actually see Tony’s face that he’d be scowling.

“In case you haven’t noticed, my hands are kind of full, because I’m actually doing work,” Tony threw the robot at Clint’s feet petulantly and leaned down to pick up the cube. The armour whirred softly as he stood back up to inspect the cube. “A Rubik’s cube? Seriously?” He lifted the faceplate to better convey his feelings via a raised eyebrow.

“I thought geniuses loved those things?” Clint kicked absently at the half a robot by his feet, Steve had finally noticed that they weren’t working anymore and was making his way over, blonde hair grey with soot and streaks of grime on his face.

“I solved my first Rubik’s cube in two days when I was three,” he threw the cube to Steve who caught it out of reflex and stared at it perplexed.

 

It took Steve a week to solve the Rubik’s cube, he would’ve been done sooner but the team were called out three times during the week to save the city from various disasters, manmade and … not, _Tony_. Steve ignored the ribbing from Tony but it still annoyed him because it was all over a stupid multi coloured cube. When it was done he left it on the counter during communal breakfast one morning and by lunch, it was gone.

The Rubik’s cube showed up again two weeks later with half the coloured dots scorched off in a way that looked suspiciously like it had been struck by multiple forks of tiny lightning but it was complete again and still in one piece. Tony scoffed when he saw it and was quick to undo all of Thor’s hard work before leaving it on the bench and heading back to his lab.

Natasha, predictably, finished the Rubik’s cube during their weekly Avengers meeting as if it were nothing more than a simple children’s toy. Clint whooped in joy and made a rude gesture at Tony who then responded in kind but swore when Steve saw and started in on a lecture in team dynamics and presenting a united front to the press.

At the end of the team meeting, Bruce took the cube from Natasha and disappeared quietly into his rooms that consisted of two floors, one of which was lab space and the other living rooms though, like Tony, he spent most of his time in the labs. This time it took three months for the cube to resurface, completed once again but nobody was game enough to comment on how long it took Bruce in case the Other Guy decided to make an appearance. However, the three months had been especially busy, Bruce had spent at least half of the time stopping, and curing an outbreak of some new bioweapon that caused people’s appendix’s to rupture. Why someone would create a bioweapon like that in the first place remained a mystery to all as the perpetrators never revealed themselves.

Finally, it seemed it was Clint’s turn, he tried to beg out on account of he was the one that found it in the first place, he didn’t _need_ to solve any stupid puzzle to prove he was smart. He _was_ smart, no matter what anyone (Tony) implied otherwise. But game night arrived and while Thor was beating everyone at Mario Kart and laughing loudly every time he hit one of his teammates with a blue shell, Clint sat back to watch, eat pizza, and start working on the Rubik’s cube.

He was done in three days, _ha! Take that Tony!_ And proudly walked around the communal kitchen during lunch with the completed cube balanced on his head.

The next day while Tony was working in his lab when Dummy wheeled over excitedly making a variety of beeping noises that meant to convey his joy to Tony. The robot held in his pincers, an uncompleted Rubik’s cube. Tony knew it was the same one the whole team had solved because it still had scorch marks and the tell-tale scratch of an arrowhead on it. He pushed Dummy away absently and got back to his work but it was a futile endeavour, as Dummy would not be deterred.

The robot wheeled around Tony in circles for a solid fifteen minutes, stopping only to beep loudly at Tony every time he passed behind him waving the Rubik’s cube around like a prize.

“Alright, alright, if I take the stupid thing will you be quiet and go sweep the floor or something?” Tony finally gave in, plucking the cube from Dummy who spun in a tight circle happily then promptly knocked over two mugs and a handful of screws that had been sitting on the bench next to Tony. “Unbelievable,” Tony muttered as he shooed the clumsy robot away and cleaned up the mess.

The next morning when Tony stumbled into the kitchen for coffee, the half-completed Rubik’s cube, that he could’ve sworn he’d left in the lab, was sitting on the bench waiting for him. By the time breakfast was over he’d finished the damn thing and when Clint finally stumbled into the kitchen looking like he’d gone ten rounds with the Hulk, Tony didn’t even feel remotely bad about pegging the stupid thing at his face.

Unfortunately, sleep-deprived Clint Barton still had amazing reflexes and he caught it before it could break his nose or poke his eye out. Tony scowled and drank his fourth cup of coffee of the morning before he left the room in a huff.

The next day a pedestal had been erected in the middle of the communal living area and there the cube stayed for the next six months… until Rhodey visited one evening and made some smart remark about how he could totally complete it before Tony, he was just as smart if not more so, thank you very much. Two days later, there was a news article on the durability of the humble Rubik’s cube after someone found one in the middle of a Hulk-sized crater that had been created during another robot-filled battle just hours earlier. Tony scowled at the news reporter on the TV and shut it down, he couldn’t believe it, that stupid cube survived!

The next Christmas his stocking was full of miniature Rubik’s cubes. His frustrated scream could be heard for miles.

**Author's Note:**

> I actually hate how this ended but it was either hate the ending or like... never finish it. I didn't intend for it to be so long but I couldn't stop.


End file.
